limit some deductions. today president obama traveled to falls church. he met with the santana family, a family the president says would be hit hard if congress doesn't extend middle class tax cuts. >> a couple thousand dollars means a couple months' rent for this family. for them to be burdened unnecessarily because democrats and republicans aren't coming together to solve this problem gives you a sense of the costs involved in very personal terms. >> at a senate hearing today one economist backed the republican plan. he testified he can't imagine anyone looking at the president's proposal arguing it wouldn't throw the country into a recession. >> while the impact of going over that fiscal cliff will be far and wide, there's one local jurisdiction that is especially vulnerable. massive spending cuts could lead to huge reductions in federal contractors and that would be a devastating blow to fairfax county. peggy fox explains. >> reporter: northern virginia is the economic engine of the

state. what is it that's transformed and built the economy? federal contracting. from 1980 through 2009 federal contracting in northern virginia increased from $1.7 billion to 38.5 billion, but there's worry the bottom could fall out. >> government contractors stopped doing business in fairfax county because it will be dramatically reduced. >> reporter: these two men were farther of the board meeting this week asking congress to hurry up and resolve the impending sequestration. >> if you make the kind of cuts that some suggest happen are then you're really hurting a lot of the small businesses and residents in fairfax county who rely on federal contracts for their livelihood and ultimately that trickles down to and affects fairfax county. >> reporter: fairfax county pulled in $23 billion in federal contract money in 2009. that's more than any county in the nation and $3 billion more than washington d.c. so what is

it about fairfax county that makes it so attractive? dulles airport. the international airport provides easy access to washington on its highway. dulles airport also provides connections to both international and national markets, but if funding drops out accident buildings will go the interest -- out, buildings will go empty and commercial property taxes which fuel the county's economy will decline. >> we want bailed approach to help us get out of this -- a balanced approach to help us get out of this, but it will have a significant impact on fairfax county if congress does nothing. >> didn't know dulles airport was such a big deal and remember, the biggest expenditure for fairfax and other counties around here, the school budget. less money for the county, less money for schools. as part of our continuing effort to hold elected officials accountable for what does or does not happen before the january 1st deadline, we're inviting our local lawmakers to be live with us on the air. tonight at 7:00 i'll be joined by maryland senator ben cardin

and monday at 5:00 virginia senator elect tim kaine will be right here. 9 news is making it easy for you to put the pressure on our local officials. go too our website, click on the fiscal cliff note and write a letter to your representative or senator and tell them get this thing done. a tea party leaving the party to become president of the heritage foundation. senator demint says he's living because the conservative movement needs strong leadership in focusing in on new ideas. >> one of the mistakes i think the republican party made the last two years is trying to make obama the issue without sharing with america bold reform ideas that inspire people to get behind us. >> the 61-year-old was elected to the senate in 2004. south carolina's republican governor gets to appoint

demint's successor. ever see another driver doing their makeup on the beltway or texting on the gw parkway? someone posted video of a metro bus driver holding a newspaper, perhaps even reading it, while driving around dupont circle. the anonymous passenger who posted the video says it happened monday morning to a d2 bus. the bus drivers union did not return our calls. d.c.'s guardian angels are responding to this video shot on the green line in metro. the video posted on youtube shows a group of young people attacking and robbing a girl of her cell phone last friday. so in an attempt to deter these types of muggings on metro, the guardian angels will be patrolling live between the congress heights and ft. totten station friday and saturday nights. the planning for next month's inauguration is in high gear, but today a group of 5th graders took over the planning for the national park service.

kristin fisher with more on the nonprofit, how to plan their inauguration and their futures. >> reporter: these 5th graders are pretending to plan the presidential inauguration. >> each security check point needs two picnic tables so police can check certain bags. >> reporter: they've been split in four committees. >> one dealt with finances. one dealt with ordering supplies. >> reporter: the catch? each committee had to approve their plans with the other teams. >> everybody kept arguing. it was tough. >> reporter: but then something happened. they realized that before they could present their plan to the real deputy supervisor, they'd have to compromise. >> well, i approve. >> that's what happens on the job here, very good job. >> reporter: this is live it, learn it in action. >> live it, learn it is a nonprofit organization in washington d.c. that creates

rigorous academically focused field trips for students with some of the high e needs. we want to make sure -- highest needs. we want to make sure students are connecting with the real world. >> of. >> reporter: in the end plan approved, but there is one more thing. >> well, we actually did need picnic tables. >> reporter: prop solved. they spent the -- problem solved. they spent the afternoon be those picnic tables today at the maintenance yard. >> these benches are actually going to be used during the inauguration. what do you guys think of that? >> yea! >> i wanted to be an actor, but a park ranger would be my second choice. >> reporter: in washington, kristin fisher, 9 news now. just a short time ago president obama and the rest of the first family flipped a switch on the national christmas tree illuminating d.c. for the holidays, part of a star studded show that's

still going on. >> it is very nice looking. coming up tonight at 7:00 we haven't seen much snow so far, but after you see what happens in this seemingly pretty video, you, too, we be glad. >> the redskins take on their crosstown rivals the ravens this sunday right here on channel 9 at 1:00, but coming up find out where the ryan redskins have their other rival, the dallas cowboys to thank for their famous fight song. >> it was 72 on tuesday, down to 44 today, average high 50. we're looking at the record 78 and record low 11. we will come back and talk about the precipitation rolling in tomorrow and we have an updated forecast on the redskins/ravens game. but up next a car slams into a busy store in the heart of the local business district.

we'll be back.

sky 9 was over wheaton around lunchtime whenwhere a car crashed through a storefront at a strip mall on the 2500 block of ennalls avenue. the car crashed right into the front of a salon and check cashing store. no person had to be treated at the scene, no word what caused the trash. the morning rush hour on the beltway looked more like the pineapple express, but traffic wasn't moving very fast. this was the scene on the outer

loop at the i-270 split in bethesda this morning when a tractor trailer carrying pineapples, really, overturned. it took hours for the crews to transfer the entire load of fruit and haul the truck away. so, you know, the weekend is coming up which, of course, means there is a commuter alert for metro riders. five stations on the red line will be closed from friday night at 10:00 through sunday for track work. they are the tacoma, silver -- takoma, silver spring, wheat on and glenn station. on the green line buses will run between the archives and waterfront stations and on the yellow line there will be no service between the archive and ft. totten stations. fight for all d.c.! >> redskins fans no doubt could sing at least part of that song are but most of them probably don't know -- song, but most of them probably don't know the

song that could have been lost to history. we'll explain. >> up next a traumatizing ordeal for a hotel clerk who was lured to a vacant room. this is a 9 news fiscal cliff note. >> fact, unemployment checks will stop. 5million americans are receiving unemployment checks right now. if the nation heads over that fiscal cliff, four out of 10 unemployed americans will have a tougher time getting by. at the height of the jobs crisis congress passed federally backed emergency unemployment programs so states wouldn't run out of money for jobless benefits. now why is this happening? these programs have passed on a temporary basis because lawmakers hoped the economy would be in better shape by now. it's all part of an effort to slash $503 billion from the federal budget deficit through tax increases and deep spending cuts. >> you can learn more any time

at www.wusa9.com and on 9 news. this has been a 9 news fiscal cliff note.

right now the search for a sexual predator who hides behind a mask, prince william county police say that man tricked, then attacked a hotel clerk at an econo lodge in woodbridge. he called the clerk posing as a guest locked out of his room. the clerk headed to the room

and in the stairwell that man with a mask pulled a knife on her, forced her into an empty room and sexually assaulted her. maryland issued its first licenses today for same sex marriage. just a few couples went to the clerk's office to pick them up. they have to wait till 12:01 on new year's day for the actual ceremony, but for this couple this is a real milestone. >> so excited i cannot believe this day is here. i cannot believe it. we've been waiting for a long time. >> instead of husband and wife montgomery county's new marriage license says party one and party two. prince george's county plans to issue one license for heterosexual couples and another for same sex couples, but prince george's county licenses won't be ready until next week. the duchess of cambridge is spending the night at kensington palace, kate middleton with her husband prince william by her side left the hospital this morning where she'd been treated for acute morning sickness. it was the first time the duchess has been seen in public since the royals announced she's pregnant with the

couple's first child. kate will remain at the palace to get some rest. now to the redskins and sunday's much anticipated showdown with our neighbors to the north, the baltimore ravens, a team with a band but not much of a fight song. that's surely not the case in washington where hail to the redskins has defined the team through the ages. tonight a look back at one of the strangest moments in redskins history, a story where the song plays the pivotal role. here's scott broom. >> reporter: ♪ hail to the redskins ♪ . >> hail victory. >> da da da da. >> reporter: that was good! even people who don't know it think they know it. >> how we all doing? >> reporter: the song goes back to the late original owner of redskins who in 1959 stood firmly in the way of texas oil man clint merchenson's plans to expand the nfl to dallas.

>> george preston marshall, owner of the redskins, had not copyrighted or bought the song. >> reporter: that's where pulitzer prize winning journalist comes in. an influence pedaling lobbyist named bobby baker quietly bought the rights to the song which curiously marshall and the redskins did not actually own. the price was 2,500 buck. it was then that mercheson sprung his trap on marshall and the skins, vote to expand the nfl to dallas or never hear the song played in washington ever again. marshall caved and the cowboys were born. >> yes, it was perfectly legal. >> reporter: it was just business. >> yeah. they bought the rights. they had the rights and they threatened an injunction if the redskins tried to play that song again. >> reporter: so the next time you're struggling to remember the lyrics remind yourself that dallas has the cowboys, but washington has got that song.

scott broom, 9 news now. ♪ fight for all d.c. ♪ . >> there you go. >> all right. don't forget it's a big football weekend here on wusa9. you can watch the army/navy game saturday at 3:00 followed by game on at 7:00. then on sunday the redskins ravens showdown. >> we should mention that we are streaming live on our website www.wusa9.com the entire pageant of peace ceremony. it's going on right now and tonight at 7:00 we'll have more on the actual tree lighting by the first family. >> good stuff. we've been talking a lot about the weather here. a lot of people do go up to philadelphia for the army/navy game. temperatures are only in the mid-50s and a better chance of showers, a little better forecast here. let's start with a live look outside, our live weather cam brought to you by michael and 

son. high was 44, 41 now, dew points in the low 20s, a little troubling, but more moisture will roll in and humidity will increase through the night, winds out of the southwest at 7 and the pressure is steady at 30.29 inches of mercury. here's a look at radar. mostly rain, back into southern west virginia and extreme southwestern virginia. it's going to kind of work its way up i-81. the best chance for showers overnight and early tomorrow morning will be west of i-81, hagerstown, cumberland, that area. predominantly 30s, 36 bethesda, 37 great falls, 38 vienna, 39 fairfax, upper 30s college park, 35 bowie, 37 down toward brandywine, 34 at andrews. unsettled but milder. it's going to be a tradeoff the next few days. clouds return tonight, a wet morning commute late tomorrow morning, not a big deal, just light activity, a little milder

friday and then warmer over the weekend and that's going to be nice. we're getting kind of lucky. 7:00 tomorrow you see this the patch of magenta or pink up near bed forcounty in pennsylvania? this are some freezing rain advisories. we're looking at light showers in the immediate metro area. if you go to work between 8:00 and 10:00, you have a better chance of seeing showers especially d.c. north up 270 and notice it's green, so it's light activity. it scoots out quickly. we'll be left with clouds much of the day tomorrow, but the showers get out in the late morning hours. we get into the evening hours, more showers in the mountains, but we're in good shape here. for tonight dressel cloudiness, not as cold -- increasing cloudiness, not as cold, winds out of the south at 10. next three days our 9 weather alerts are green. the showers get in here a little earlier for the commute,

might make it a yellow, 52 for a high, 63 on saturday, a few showers and then showers possible sunday late, temperatures 62 during the game, upper 50s and low 60s. you can watch it right here on channel 9. so after that it gets even warmer, mid-60s monday, better chance for showers monday night, lingering showers tuesday and cooler but again no arctic aircrafts upper 40s wednesday and low 50s on thursday. >> all right. got us prepared. we've been talking about a big game. >> several big games on air this weekend. we've got army/navy. you're a big navy guy. >> class of '94. >> then you'll be covering the ravens and redskins game. >> i'm a lucky guy. ravens are coming to town mad and looking to stop redskins momentum. the redskins are trying to take down their second division leader. what is their no. 1 priority and what are the

ravens saying about their trip south? all that is next in sports. i'm anita brikman with this health alert. are boys hitting puberty earlier? researches are found puberty signs up to two years earlier in boys ages 9 and 10 on average. girls, too may be developing sooner and theories range from higher levels of obesity to chemicals in food and water that could interfere with hormones. >> this health alert is sponsored by cancer treatment of america.

and now 9 sports with dave owens. >> the redskins pass defense is awful. here's a scary stat for you. they're about to give up the second most passing yards in nfl history. good thing the ravens' best weapon is a running back. i say again running back. ray rice, one of the best backs in all football since '09, he's been in the top 10 in rushing, he's also one of the best duel threat backs in all the -- dual threat backs in all the nfl. most teams have a dual threat strategy, stop rice, stop the ravens. good luck. >> he can do everything, catches a lot of balls and he's great running back. he's the first guy you got to stop. >> he's got a game tackle.

you've got to have three or four guys getting to him and we got to do a great job in that area. >> meanwhile ravens come to fedex field smattering after losing to pittsburgh and take on -- smarting after losing to pittsburgh. now the redskins are favored, that plus they're trying to secure home field advantage, some urgency in charm city. >> i've always took the approach of me being a leader on this team now. what are you going to, do get better or worse from it? we've just been that kind of team to find a way. we've always found a way to bounce back after a loss. >> redskins/ravens kickoff at 1:00. after the game we'll bring you a full postgame show from 5:00 to 6:00 and later in the evening overtime wraps up week 14 at 11:35. take into account the nhl playoffs typically begins around april and you can only play about three games per week, it's put up or shut up time in hockey.

if they don't agree on a collective bargaining proposal soon, we are not going to have a viable season. it was hoped the last couple days a deal was imminent, but that momentum came to a screeching halt. concerning some is that the commissioner and union leader are not even in new york with all the parties. that can't be good. bob mckenzie of canada tsm tweeted earlier today no nhl owner in today's negotiations session. some have gone home. the owner player train has left the station. we are officially in basketball season. there are your five games today. go cast your vote online. football good, hockey not so good. >> all right. thanks so much. by the way, president obama is getting ready to speak at the national christmas tree lighting celebration. you can watch it on www.wusa9.com. that's not the president. that was tom vilsack. the president is coming up, though. >> that will be on www.wusa9.com and we'll also have more tonight at 7:00. i6